Javier Otero and Laura Delgado were some of our first lucky winners of a WOW award for outstanding customer service. A total of 15 awards were given in the first month of running this international customer service recognition programme.

Both of them work at The Caesar Hotel in London and some of our guests said “Laura made a good meal an excellent one. She was engaging and funny but at the same time polite and unobtrusive. She takes pride in her work and took every challenge my party gave her with a smile”

“Javi was helpful when I was trying to find out which terminal I needed at Heathrow. He went out of his way to find this information always with a big smile – WOW”

Interview Javi vs. Laura

LAURA DELGADO

How many years have you been working in the hotel?

I’ve been working in the Caesar for eight months, but this is the third hotel from Derby Hotels Collection that I work in. I’ve been working a year and two months in the. company.

What do you like the most about your job? And the least?

I love how rewarding it is to get positive feedback from our guests because it makes it worth the effort. The fact that I work in a boutique hotel allows me to have enough time to deliver such a service. And I dislike our working schedules, but it comes with the job when you work in hospitality.

Any particular experience/anecdote to share from the hotel?

I remember it was a grey day, very rainy, I was at the bar with a lovely old lady who said she regretted a lot of decisions she made in her life. However, when I asked her how coming back to London felt, after over 40 years away, she said with watery eyes like the weather outside, it brought her back to the most joyful years of her life.

Also, an anectode that reminds me that there’s kindness beyond words, is the one of a Brazilian man who came with his wife and another couple. They stayed for about a week and they barely knew a word of English but, helping them as much we could was rewarded the night before their check out with a lovely and humbling note and 75 pounds for two reception colleagues and I.

If you were a guest at the hotel, what would you like the most?

I would really enjoy the variety and quality of the breakfast buffet, the cleanliness of the rooms, the predisposition of the Front Office team and the lovely area and location of the hotel.

What was your first thought when you received your WOW award?

I was stunned that more than one guest would voluntarily take their time, go online and anonymously compliment my service or work, it was flattering.

How is your perfect day in London?

A sunny one does the trick, but spending it attending to one of the many events that happen everyday in such a vibrant city, like the London Coffee Festival, or enjoying a great cocktail in one of the 12 bars that are amongst the 50 Best Bars in the world with my friends, really makes it perfect.

Do you have any hotel in London that you recommend?

Unfortunately I don’t spend time in hotels around the city much, so I wouldn’t be able to.

What is your favourite holiday destination?

From all the places I’ve been to, I still prefer a small town in Asturias, north of Spain, called Lastres, where it’s evergreen and the sea makes everything timeless and both locals and tourists feel always at home. There though, I do have a lovely hotel recommendation, a Relaix & Château quiet, luxury hotel called El Palacio De Luces.

And finally, could you explain us your job at the Caesar?

My job consists of hosting guests in the morning when they come down for breakfast, serving meals and drinks at the bar and the our XO restaurant during the evenings, plus delivering the room service orders throughout the entire day.

JAVIER OTERO

How many years have you been working in the hotel?

I’ve been working here since last October, so just for 8 months.

What’s the most you like of your job, and the worst?

What I like the most is to interact with guests, to try to satisfy their requests and to talk in several languages with people from all over the world.

Any particular experience/anecdote in the hotel to share?

As it is the first time that I am working here in London, every day it’s a new experience for me, I am learning every time I come to work and of course I have to mention that one of the best experiences I have had here is meeting nice guests and, more important, that I can say I have made friends among my work mates.

If you were a Guest at the Caesar Hotel, what would you like the most?

The things I would like the most I think they would be the location of the hotel, the staff and the breakfast.

What was your first thought when you received the wow award?

The first thing that came to my mind it was that I couldn’t (and I still cannot) believe that someone, who is already at home after staying with us, is still thinking about me. It’s amazing that someone spends his own time in voting or nominating me for an award, it’s an incredible feeling that I don’t know how to explain, but it makes me feel proud and it encourages me to keep on improving and doing things better.

How is your perfect day in London?

In London there are so many things to do that it’s not easy to choose just one perfect day…but maybe it will be one of those days off when I can plan different stuff to do with my friends, such as going shopping, knowing new places in London, going to a pub, etc.

Do you have any hotel in the London area to recommend?(not in the city center, surroundings)

Unfortunately, I haven’t been to any other hotel in London nor in the surrounding areas, I have just been to a small B&B called Strawberry Fields in Brighton, and I have to admit it was excellent and a great experience.

What is your favorite holiday destination?

It’s not easy to choose just one, as I love travelling and I do it every time I can, but there are two places where I have really enjoyed and where I would like to go back to, and they were Cuba and Ibiza, two different destinations but both of them special for me.

Finally, could you please explain us your job at the Caesar Hotel?

I work at the Caesar Hotel as a receptionist, so basically my duties are checking in and out guests, answering the telephone, helping guests with their inquiries, booking the tours we offer and lots of different things which occur every day in a hotel.